As an artist I have a tendency to feel like a failure for so many reasons; I don't use my talent enough, I don't make enough money selling art, I have too many other things I need to do, like to do, I don't draw every day, I don't work enough from live models, I'm not in a bunch of fancy galleries....When I allow those things to fill my mind making art becomes depressing instead of a joy. Then there will come opportunities that remind me what is really important about me making art. Today w... Continue reading ...

Well, it's 2014 and time for the annual Arts To Zion Studio Tour. Each year I am privileged to be included in a group of amazing artists who open their private home studio's to the public. Each year I am wishing I was not on the tour so I could be the one who could go snoop around in these artists' creative spaces. I am endlessly fascinated by what items people surround themselves with, what books are on their shelves, what materials they use, how they set up their space, and how their art fi... Continue reading ...

Here at The Drawing Room Studio when the kids get done with their assignment for the day they are allowed to do a free draw project. This is usually quite popular, but there are times (and those times usually revolve around high candy usage by the kids) that the students become distracted, loud, and lose focus. When I know times like these are approaching I try to have a variety of guided drawing activities available for the kids to chose from. This seems to refocus them and some of the kids ...Continue reading ...

The latest community project I'm involved in is called The Pin Project.The Pin Project is a wonderful creative project that will raise awareness and funds for the Big Brother Big Sister organization in Southern Utah. Seven local artists are working with adult mentors and their youth (a “big” and a “little”) from the program, to create collaborative

Here’s the newest member of the Celestial Chickens Series
and the first rooster to be so honored, Brutus. This painting is in memoriam,
as Brutus, a six month old Mille Fleur Serama cockerel that belonged to KATHY
SHEA MORMINO, THE CHICKEN CHICK® passed away suddenly this week. You can read
more about Brutus here.

I love painting chickens. I love their feathers, their
colors, their personalities. Where does the “Celestial” come from? I’m not sure
exactly, but it started out as a jo...

Here is one of the most important items in my art classroom.Yes, that's a trash can. Let me tell you something parents. You have to be able to let your kid make mistakes. You have to be able to allow your children the freedom of non-performance sometimes. When parents sign their kids up for art classes at The Drawing Room Studio, I try to explain to them that their child may not bring something home after every class. If a student does something they don't like, they can throw it away. If a s...

We all handle grief in different ways. Most of us get to the point, after wading through our shock, anger, disbelief, sadness, where we feel the need to DO something to put away our feelings. They never really go away, but we end up doing something that has meaning to us to help us kind of wrap the experience up and put it on a shelf so we can stand to live with it. Some people plant a tree or maybe go on a trip, listen to a special song, make a photo album, write. I've found that art has bee... Continue reading ...

Most of my artwork is kind of personal, including lots of portraits and self-portraits so I've never thought much about doing prints. I can't imagine someone wanting a living room full of me's, or if there is such a person it's probably better that I NOT enable them. I have, however, received many requests for prints from the Celestial Chickens series. So if anyone is wanting a print, I've set it up with Fine Art America. You can go to their site, choose your image, choose your size and canv...Continue reading ...

I'm excited to be a home studio artist in the Arts To Zion Studio Tour for 2013! In preparation I've scrubbed my front porch, which was looking pretty white trash, cleaned the chicken coop, and completed four new Celestial Chickens and four new paintings for the Mask series.

With my love for Pre-Renaissance religious art feed by my recent trip to the LACMA and The Getty which both featured 100's of delicious icons, altar pieces, and illuminated manuscripts, you know that the inevitable result would be similar pieces. Of course, most of my pieces feature chickens. I'm not trying to be sacrilegious or anything. I just really like painting chickens.

Here's my nod to the venerable subject matter of the Madonna and Child with a chicken lovers twist, "Mother and Child...

I thought ya'll might like to see a bit of the "process" that goes in to my painting. Those are snarky air quotes because it's honestly nothing spectacular. I don't have a lot of great theory to back up my work, nor do I take it too seriously,maybe I'd be a better artist if I did. Who knows.

One of my hens died so I thought I'd add her to my Celestial Chickens series. The Celestial Chickens are just fun to paint. It's not a portrait of a person, so the stress of a true likeness is gone and chi...

It's that time of year again. Valentine's Day. First of all, I have a problem with all the candy now associated with every holiday. When I was a kid, candy was a big deal. If you got candy in your valentine, the kid that gave it to you was probably rich. If my family was feeling splurgy we'd get a bag of candy hearts to add to our valentine cards. I would painstakingly go through each heart, making sure that the right message went to the right person. Couldn't have that kid with the sweaty ha...

If you're a "creative" of any sort, you know. People are always asking you to do things for them. Create something, sing something, sew something, paint something--for free.

Maybe people think that creating is such a bliss that I'd better be glad to do it any time for any one for any amount? How many surgeons get asked on a regular basis to perform a boob job, "just to be nice and help a girl out"? Probably not very many. Now I'm a pretty nice person, and I'm always glad to help frie... Continue reading ...

So it took me about 2 weeks to spiff up the studio for this tour. I tend to be a bit of a hoarder and messy when in the midst of a project. I went through stacks of papers, stowed things in closets and placed my junk on shelves in artistic arrangements. I vacuumed eraser dust, charcoal, gold leaf flakes and spider webs out from behind the desk, scrubbed the floor and the baseboards.The bathroom in the studio is the only place in our house ...Continue reading ...

My studio has been chosen to be part of theArts To Zion Studio Tour! This is something new and exciting for artists and art appreciators in the southern Utah area. It's like a parade of homes kind of tour, but with the opportunity to peek in the private home studio of ten artists and ten public galleries. With their ticket ($10.00) attendees will receive a numbered map of the private and public locations. After enjoying their tour, tickets with at least five home studios and five g...Continue reading ...

A Little Introduction...

Kirsten Beitler

I am an florist, artist, teacher, and single mom of four boys, not necessarily in that order depending on the day!
This blog is about all the things that interest me; art, relationships, friends, kids, teaching, adoption, being a Mormon, chickens, divorce, therapy, essential oils, gardening...you know,totally normal stuff.